T H E   T E A M

DIA co-founders

​ Cherri Briggs and Richard Wilson ​

Cherri Briggs, owner and president of EXPLORE INC, enjoyed a “wild and free” childhood on remote cattle ranch in Nevada which may explain her zest for adventure and love for open spaces. She founded EXPLORE Inc in 1992 and since that time EXPLORE has become one of the leading African travel companies in the USA. She and her husband Richard Wilson have homes in Botswana, Zambia, and the United States, and spend six to eight months of the year in Africa, primarily at their home on the remote Lower Zambezi River. Cherri is Honorary Consul for the Embassy for the Republic of Zambia to the USA and was the first non-citizen to be appointed to the Botswana Tourism Organization 

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Gloria Steinem

Gloria Steinem is a writer, lecturer, political activist, and feminist organizer. She travels in this and other countries as an organizer and lecturer and is a frequent media spokeswoman on issues of equality. She is particularly interested in the shared origins of sex and race caste systems, gender roles and child abuse as roots of violence, non-violent conflict resolution, the cultures of indigenous peoples, and organizing across boundaries for peace and justice. She lives in New York City, and is the author of the newly released travelogue My Life on the Road.

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Sam Boren and Steve King

Susan (Sam) Boren has been involved with projects in East Africa for over 20 years. After a 50 year corporate career she has recently stepped back to spend more time working with organizations focused on education, the environment, and women’s empowerment. Her friendship with Cherri and Richard brought her to the DIA board and the work on the Lower Zambezi has become an important passion that she shares with her partner Steve.
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Steve King is the founder and chairman of Landscape Structures Inc., a manufacturer of public playground equipment. He is a member of several not for profit boards and has been on the DIA board since 2011. He is committed to helping communities along the lower Zambezi River become self-sufficient and sustaining.
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Ellen and Jan Breyer

Ellen Breyer is the former CEO of the Hazelden Foundation. Named Administrator of the Year in 2005 by The National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, Ellen has also been recognized for her leadership by the Minnesota Business Journal, The George Family Foundation and her Alma Mater.

Before joining Hazelden, Ellen held senior marketing positions in Minnesota and New York, including Marketing Director for Godiva. Responsibility for growing a global food brand and international travel sparked an interest in the advancement and welfare of women in developing countries. She has authored a microfinance training curriculum and served on the board of Freedom from Hunger and currently serves on the Grameen Foundation Board in Washington DC as well as several Minneapolis non-profit boards. She is an alum of the selective Harvard/Accion Financial Inclusion Program. Ellen and her husband, Jan, are also investors in MCE Social Capital, an International Impact Investment Fund.

Ellen earned a BA in English from The College of New Rochelle, an MBA from The Stern School at New York University and London Business School.

Jan serves on the board of a bank holding company based in Minnesota. Formerly he was the Independent Third Trustee overseeing the Pritzker Family Trusts in the United States. Prior to his position as Trustee, Jan spent 25 years with American Express Company in the United States and Europe in senior management positions.
Jan holds a BA degree from The Johns Hopkins University and a JD degree from New York University Law School.
Jan is currently on the Walker Art Center Board in Minneapolis and has served on the Boards of the Guthrie Theater and Minnesota Orchestra.